Gold Born of Fire
Due to the limited size of the galvanic bath at the Kyiv factory, the gilding of the crucified Christ sculpture — created for the Cross of Peace installation — was carried out in separate sections. The metal, once scorched by the flames of war, passed once more through the purifying crucible of fire: first in the electric welding of thousands of shrapnel fragments from mines and shells, once bearers of death, and then in the electrochemical coating with nickel and pure 999.9 gold. Thus it was transformed into a symbol of light and rebirth.
In the photo: factory technicians display the gilded upper section of the Christ figure before the final assembly of the sculpture.
Before the artwork is gilded, it undergoes multiple stages of the galvanic process — from chemical baths that remove metal oxides to precise nickel plating. Only then, as the final phase, is the surface covered in pure gold.
Contacts
Sergey Melnikoff, a.k.a. MFF
American artist. Founder and CEO of the Soul of Ukraine, an International Charitable Foundation, and CEO its US Division — The Soul of Ukraine Foundation, Inc.
info@soulofukraine.foundation
Fax: +1 320 341 0275
Valentina Bianca Bertagnin
Executive Director of The Golden Star Project in Italy
+39 349 739 9382
valentina.bertagnin@soulofukraine.foundation
Sculpture Workshop in Ukraine
WhatsApp: +38 068 78 68 281
mff@mff.name
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